Guwahati, May 28: Tensions flared along the India-Bangladesh international border in Assam’s South Salmara Mankachar district on Tuesday after a dramatic standoff between Indian and Bangladeshi forces during a repatriation operation involving 14 Bangladeshi nationals.
The situation escalated in the Thakurbari area, near the zero line—a neutral buffer zone—when Border Security Force (BSF) personnel attempted to push back 14 individuals who had illegally entered Indian territory. However, Bangladesh Border Guards (BGB) initially refused to accept them, reportedly with the backing of local civilians. The standoff forced BSF troops to fire four warning shots into the air to disperse the swelling and increasingly aggressive crowd.
“The BGB not only opposed the handover but crossed into the zero line area, leading to a heated verbal confrontation,” said a senior Indian security official, calling the incursion a “serious breach of protocol.”
According to sources, the 14 individuals—including one woman—had been apprehended earlier from Morigaon (9 people) and Hojai (5 people) districts after failing to prove their citizenship in Assam’s Foreigner’s Tribunal (FT).
On Wednesday morning, following high-level communication between the two border forces, the BGB eventually accepted custody of the individuals and sheltered them in a temporary camp in Roumari, Kurigram district of Bangladesh, according to AIUDF MLA Ashraful Hussain.
The incident sparked an immediate political reaction. An 11-member delegation from the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) met Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya at Raj Bhavan on Wednesday, raising alarms over what they called the unlawful and arbitrary detention of individuals labelled as suspected foreigners.
“Despite having legitimate documents, people are being arrested on mere suspicion. This is not just unlawful—it’s inhumane,” said AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam from Mankachar. He accused the government of bypassing due legal process and urged for diplomatic engagement with Bangladesh for verification and repatriation by international norms.
Islam also aimed the ruling BJP, alleging that the “Bangladeshi infiltration” narrative was being used to distract from controversies surrounding figures like Shankar Jyoti Baruah and Shrinkhal Chaliha.
AIUDF MLA Rafiqul Islam, also part of the delegation, reiterated the party’s stance: “We do not support illegal migrants. Anyone who entered India after 1971 must be deported. But action must be backed by proof—not driven by political agendas.”
He also clarified that the AIUDF has no links to Shrinkhal Chaliha, distancing the party from any recent controversies involving him.
The delegation handed a memorandum to the Governor urging strict adherence to constitutional procedures, protection of human rights, and a halt to what it described as targeted harassment of minority communities under the guise of foreigner identification.
“Let justice prevail, and let no citizen suffer needlessly,” the memorandum concluded.
